“There were two absolutely clear penalties, but referee Celi only saw one,” said Ranieri.

“Unfortunately, we gave away the spot-kick and that was a shame, but I liked the Inter performance in the second half.

“I introduced Ricky Alvarez after the break because I wanted to give more consistency, as we weren’t pushing forward the way I wanted. We created a great deal, but Morgan De Sanctis and our own errors made sure we couldn’t score.”

Napoli were also angry with the referee, as Wesley Sneijder avoided a straight red card for landing his studs on Walter Gargano’s shin.

“Sneijder is recovering incredibly quickly and trains hard, so I hope to have him at 100 per cent in the Champions League, because he can make the difference. I told Sneijder to stay calm out there.”

The mistake for the opening goal was by ThiagoMotta, whose agent confirmed could be heading to Paris Saint-Germain over the next few days.

“An error can happen when you’re spreading the play. I hope ThiagoMotta won’t leave, as he is a very important player, but I know nothing about any news. He told me that he was ready to stay.”